Here’s our France player ratings following their comfortable 34-17 triumph over Italy.
15 Hugo Bonneval – Scored a try and looked far more comfortable in that position than previous incumbent Geoffrey Palis, but still plenty to improve on. 6/10
14 Benjamin Fall – Was deprived of the ball on his wing but, when the 28-year-old did get it, the back three player failed to do much with it. Should Jacques Brunel forgive Teddy Thomas for his antics after the Scotland match, expect to see the Racing 92 man back. 5/10
13 Mathieu Bastareaud – Superb. Was at the heart of everything good France did and duly justified his recall with an all-action display. Will undoubtedly keep his place, but Bastareaud’s next challenge is to do it against the better teams. 8/10
12 Geoffrey Doumayrou – A step down from the Scotland performance, where he was one of France’s brighter sparks. Doumayrou struggled to get into the game and once again failed to show his La Rochelle form on the international stage. 5/10
11 Rémy Grosso – Like Bastareaud, Grosso’s strength enabled him to play a huge role in France’s victory. The wing has been a consistent performer in the Top 14 throughout the years and it is good to see him take his opportunity at international level. 8/10
10 Lionel Beauxis – A mixed bag from the pivot, who did some good things and then, in typical French fly-half style, tended to take the wrong option. An improvement from his Scotland display, but there are some talented youngsters coming through who can hopefully solve their issues in that position over the next year. 5/10
9 Maxime Machenaud – Steady, consistent, a good kicker, Machenaud does pretty much everything well and is a reliable performer at this level. Did not have the greatest first half but grew into the game and helped pull the strings in the second half. 7/10
8 Marco Tauleigne – A much improved performance from the number eight, who was strong in the carry and regularly had Italian defenders going into reverse. Made 76 metres in what was a good effort from Tauleigne. 7/10
7 Yacouba Camara – Another France back-rower to impress. Although not quite as effective as Tauleigne, Camara is a supreme athlete and often makes it over the gainline. 7/10
6 Wenceslas Lauret – Had one burst, where he should have passed it out left, but an otherwise solid display from Lauret. Jacques Brunel will probably demand more from the flanker next time out, however. 6/10
5 Sébastien Vahaamahina – After showing an improvement against Scotland, the Clermont lock stepped it up again and was part of a decent second-row pair with Paul Gabrillagues. 7/10
4 Paul Gabrillagues – One of France’s most effective players in the forward eight, scoring a try and also putting himself about in the loose. Carries well, is solid in the lineout and looks a good find for Jacques Brunel. 7/10
3 Rabah Slimani – Had the edge at the scrum but the tighthead prop is yet to find the dominance people in Europe have become accustomed to. Worked hard and defended well, however, putting in nine tackles. 6/10
2 Guilhem Guirado – Quieter than in previous weeks but still a decent shift. Apart from a couple of issues, the lineout generally went well and Guirado can be happy with another solid display. 6/10
1 Jefferson Poirot – Another one of those players who seems a real talent at club level but has yet to truly transfer that onto the international arena, but this was nevertheless a good shift from the loosehead. 6/10
Replacements:
16 Adrien Pelissié – Not on long enough.
17 Dany Priso – Came on for the last 20 minutes and carried a few times, but not much chance to show his quality. 6/10
18 Cedate Gomes Sa – Not on long enough.
19 Romain Taofifenua – Was only on for a short time but provided impact. 7/10
20 Kélian Galletier – Came on for Camara and made a couple of dents. 6/10
21 Baptiste Couilloud – Not on long enough.
22 François Trinh-Duc – Not on long enough.
23 Gaël Fickou – Did not really see much of the ball. 5/10
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